France Economic Index Falls For Fourth Time

The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators for France fell for the fourth consecutive month in November, the latest month for which data are available. The index now stands at 105.1 (1990=100).

"With November's decline, the growth rate of the leading index [for France] has slowed to about a 0.5% to 1% annual rate in recent months," says the New York-based business research group. Nevertheless, France's inflation-adjusted GDP growth rose to an annual rate of 2.8% in the third quarter of last year, significantly higher than the 1% annual rate for the first half of 2005. "The weakness in the leading index in recent months suggests that the economy will continue to grow more moderately in the near term," says the Conference Board.